Foot operated boat motor guiding apparatus



May 30, 1967 a. A. LANDON 3,322,092

FOOT OPERATED BOAT MOTOR GUIDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 4, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. BYREL A LANDON LN $5 v J I ?MMAM;Z/M

A/fws May 30, 1967 B. A. LANDONY FOOT OPERATED BOAT MOTOR GUIDINGAPPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet :3

Filed Oct. 4, 1965 INVEIVTOR. BYREL A. LANDON Z/MZ/MJM Ai /one s UnitedStates Patent 3,322,092 FOOT OPERATED BOAT MOTOR GUIDING APPARATUS ByrelA. Landon, RR. 1, Redkey, Ind. 47373 Filed Oct. 4, 1965, Ser. No.492,654 7 Claims. (Cl. 115-18) This invention relates generally to powerboats, and more particularly to outboard motors and foot operatedcontrols for turning or guiding such motors, as installed. An object ofthe invention is to control motor position without use of the hands.

Another object is to turn the motor with respect to its mounting,without use of the hands.

Another object is to controllably turn the boat by means of the motor,without use of the hands.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a boat incorporating my invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view thereof showing thefoot levers and mounting thereof.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the telescopic brace employed.

FIG. 4 is an exploded enlarged perspective of the adjustable connectingbracket.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the cable connecting plate,mounted to a motor frame bar.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the components shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the under-seat cables upport pulleys.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the lever mountingpost,

In the drawings, in the top plan view of the boat 11, two seats 12 and13 are provided across the hull and an outboard motor 14 is provided atthe stern 16. The motor is mounted for swinging or turning in thedirection of the arrows 17 and 18 about a vertical axis through thepoint 19 and it is in this manner that boats are typically steered. Acontrol box 21 is mounted to the boat for convenient operation of thetransmission and throttle control levers 22 and 23. Gussets 24 and 26are provided at the stern. I

A typical embodiment of the present invention employs a 4 by 4 by 8upstanding wood block 27 afiixed in the boat by a bracket 28 affixed tothe seat 12. This is better shown in the enlarged view where it is seenthat the bracket 28 includes two identical L-shaped pieces with aplurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 29 in each of them so that,when the portion 31 is secured to the seat 12 by suitable screws 32, andthe portion 33 is secured to the block 27 likewise, the distance of theblock 27 away from the seat can be selected as desired by simplychoosing which of the apertures 29 in both of the bracket sections shallbe aligned and receive the bolts 34.

To brace the upper end of the block, two telescopic diagonal braces 36are employed. These are identical so the description of one will sufiicefor both. As shown in the enlargement, each of these braces includes atube 37 having a square cross section with a smaller tube of squarecross section 38 telescopically received therein. The tube 38 has aplurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 39 so that the overalllength of the brace can be selected by aligning the desired apertureswith the aperture in the outer tube 37 through which a bolt 41 is thenpassed. The aperture 42 at one end of the brace receives screw 43 whichis received in the seat 12. Aperture 44 in the other end of the bracereceives the screw 46 which is received in the block 27. So by the useof the adjustable bracket and adjustable diagonal braces, the locationof the support block can be established where most convenient for theuser.

At each side of the support block 27, there are two vertically alignedeye-bolts 47'and 48 threadedly received in the block, At each side ofthe block 27, and mounted in the eye-bolts, is a foot lever 51 which istypically an L-shaped tube or bar, the short leg 52 of which isfittingly received through the two eye-bolts 48 and 47 and having aflange 53 thereon resting on eye-bolt 48 and supporting the lever. Thelong leg or arm 54 of the foot lever extends outwardly from the post andhas an aperture 56 at the outer end thereof through which the cable 57extends. The construction of the foot lever 51R is identical, and acable 58 extends through the aperture at the outer end thereof.

Cable 57 extends back over a pulley unit 59 attached to seat 13, aroundthe pulley unit 61 attached to the gusset 26, and has a hook 62 at theend thereof, a portion of the hook being received through the loop 63and the other portion of the hook being received in an aperture 64 in aplate 66 affixed to a cross member 67 afi-ixed to, and possibly a partof, the frame for the motor 14. The plate 66, and therefore the cable,is connected to the motor frame cross member 67 by the use of a U-bolt68, the legs of which are received through the slots 69 and 71 in theplate, and which is secured in place by the wing nuts 72. In order toeliminate the possibility of rotation of the bolt on the cross member67, in the event that it would happen to be perfectly round, machinescrews 73 and 74 are employed in each of the pairs of slots 76 and 77 atopposite sides of the slots 69 and 71. The inner ends 7304 and 74a ofthese bolts, and possibly the nuts 73b and 74b securing them in positionin the slots, can bite into the outer surface of the member 67 andprevent any rotation or slipping of the plate 66 on the member. Thisparticular motor connector bracket arrangement is of special advantagefor use where the motor does not employ any other means whereby the hook62 at the end of cable 57 or the hook 62R at the end of the cable 58,can be connected to the motor.

The cables 57 and 58 are operated by the foot levers 51. For thispurpose, and referring to cable 57, for example, a cable stop or clamp78 is affixed to cable 57 in front of the aperture 56 in the lever 51,and the stop or clamp 78R is affixed to the cable 58 in the samerelationship to the foot lever 51R. Accordingly, as lever 51 is pushedforward, the hook 62 at the rear end of cable 57 is pulled by the cabletoward the left hand (port) side of the boat to turn the motor in thedirection of the arrow 17. If the boat is moving forwardly, the resultis to turn the boat to the starboard. At the same time, of course, thehook 62R is pulled toward the port side of the boat and the cable stop78R thereon pulls the outer end of the right hand foot lever 51R towardthe stern of the boat. In other words, whenever the left hand foot levermoves forward, the right hand foot lever moves to the rear.

(3 This type of operation in unison gives complete control of the boatand a natural sense of control to the boat operater sitting on the seat13.

In the illustrated example of the invention, additional foot levers areprovided for use by an occupant of the front seat 12, if desired. Thefoot levers and support post arrangement and braces are identical tothat already described. However the distance of the support post fromthe points against which it is bracketed and braced is much greater thanthat for support post 27. In this example, the support post 81 has thetelescopic braces 82 and 83 fastened thereto just as braces 36 arefastened to the support post 27. However these braces, although they areidentical to braces 36, are extended to a greater length so that thepost 81 is farther in front of the seat 12 than post 27 is behind seat12. Nevertheless, the outer ends of these braces 82 are secured to thefront face of the seat by screws 84 just as are the braces 36 secured tothe rear face of the seat by the screws 43. Instead of merely'employingthe two-piece bracket, a three-piece bracket assembly 86 is employed forthe front post 81, and this includes, in addition to the two pieces 87and 88 which are identical to each other and to the two pieces of thebracket assembly 28, a fiat extension plate 89 which also has aplurality of horizontally spaced apertures therein. Screws 91 are usedto assemble the pieces 87, 88, and 89, and the appropriate apertures canbe aligned to provide the desired distance of the post from the seat soas to accommodate comfortably the occupant of the front seat of the boatwho will Want to steer the boat by using the foot levers 92 and 92R.Cable 57 has a cable stop 93 immediately in front of the foot lever justas the cable stop 78 is in front of the foot lever 51. Cable 58 has astop 93R located in front of the right hand foot lever 92R just exactlylike the stop 78R is located in front of the right rear foot lever 51R.

Underseat pulley assemblies 94 and 94R, secured to the rear face of thefront seat just as are the cable pulley assemblies 59 and 59R to therear seat, are used to guide the portion of the cable extending betweenthe two right hand foot' levers and the two port-side foot levers.

Each of these underseat pulleys has a generally U- shaped frame 96 witha pulley 97 therein rotating on the axis 98 a sufficient distance belowthe lower edge 99 of the seat to permit free passage of the cable 57over the pulley wheel and under the seat without rubbing the seat.

Each of the corner pulleys can be constructed in conventional manner andhooked to an aperture in the gusset by a hook 101 which can be identicalto the hook 62 on the end of the cable.

The present invention makes it easy to maneuver a conventional outboardmotor boat without using the hands except for changing gears orcontrolling the throttle. This is of particular benefit to fishermen inmany circumstances, and particularly for keeping a hooked fish on a tautline, for example. The use of the wooden support block as the foot levermount has advantages of'minimized vibration and ease of changingeye-boltposition,,if desired, to provide whatever angle and height of footlevers best suits the owner. The whole construction is attainable at alow cost and the telescopic and adjustable braces and brackets adapt theinvention to any boat construction. Even in a boat without seats, thelever post attaching bracket can be secured to a box used by the boatoperator as a seat, even though the box is not 'afiixed to the boat. TheWeight of the operator is normally suflicient on the box to provide asteady assembly and permit foot control of the motor and boat direction.

The means of connecting the cables to the boat motor, according toapplicants invention, makes it possible to connect up the apparatusregardless of whether or not the motor has a stationary or liftinghandle or no handle at all.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail inthe drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modificationsmay readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and withinthe broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appendedclaims.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus comprising:

a boat having a hull with front and rear seats in horizontally spacedrelation, each of said seats being affixed to the boat hull andextending'thereacross;

motorized propulsion means connectedto said boat to move said boat;

foot lever means positioned to permit operation by a foot of anindividual sitting on said seating means, said foot lever meansincluding a first post affixed in a position ahead of said front seat bymeans of a first adjustable bracket, and a second post affixed in aposition behind said front seat by meansof a second adjustable bracket,and foot lever bars pivotally mounted to and projecting outward fromopposite sides of said posts toward the sides of said boat hull, saidposts being so positioned by said adjustable brackets that the leversahead of said front seat are conveniently operable by the feet of anoperator in said front seat and the levers behind said front seat areconveniently operable by an operator sitting on said posts are woodenand said levers are mounted thereto by eye-bolts threadedly received insaid posts. 3. Apparatus comprising: -a boat;

seating means for an individual, said seating means being mounted tosaid boat;

. motorized propulsion means mounted to said boat to move said boat;

foot lever means positioned to permit operation by a foot of anindividual sitting on said seating means, said foot lever means beingcoupled to said propulsion means and operable, when actuated by theindividual, to turn said propulsion means to change the direction ofmovement of said boat by said propulsion means, said foot lever meansincluding:

a mounting member; I

a bracket connecting said mounting member to said seating means;

' and an L-shaped elongated member pivotally mounted to said mountingmember and easily operable by the foot of an individual seated on saidseating means.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein:

said bracket comprises two, apertured L-shaped members having selectedapertures thereof in registry to establish a desired overall length,with fastener bolts received in selected ones of the apertures inregistry and afiixing the two members together, said two bracket membersthus providing two mounting surfaces in spaced parallel planes, onesurface engaging said mounting member and aflixed thereto, and the othersurface engaging said seating means and affixed thereto.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein:

said foot lever means further includes telescopic adjustable bracesconnected to said mounting member and to said seating means and bracingsaid mounting member at the desired distance from said seating means.

6. Guiding apparatus comprising:

seating means for an individual and adapted to mounting in a boat;

a mounting member connected to said seating means;

an L-shaped foot lever bar;

eye bolts mounted in said mounting member and pivot- 5 ally supportingsaid foot lever bar ahead of said seating means and facilitatingoperation of said foot bar by the foot of an individual seated on saidseating means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein locator means are provided on saidmounting member and adapted to locate said lever pivotal mounting atselectively greater distances from said seating means to accommodateindividuals of different physical stature.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 595,196 12/1897 Newman et a128749 2,878,768 3/1959 Warblow 1l5--18 2,881,730 4/1959 Hall 114153MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner.

6. GUIDING APPARATUS COMPRISING: SEATING MEANS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL ANDADAPTED TO MOUNTING IN A BOAT; A MOUNTING MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAIDSEATING MEANS; AN L-SHAPED FOOT LEVER BAR; EYE BOLTS MOUNTED IN SAIDMOUNTING MEMBER AND PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID FOOT LEVER BAR AHEAD OFSAID SEATING MEANS AND FACILITATING OPERATION OF SAID FOOT BAR BY THEFOOT OF AN INDIVIDUAL SEATED ON SAID SEATING MEANS.